There are countless methods and apparatus for dieting known in the art. Diets and other nutritional interventions have various purposes, but they are mainly concerned with controlling weight (e.g. loosing weight) and maintaining a healthy body. Normally, dieting is based on consumption of food in accordance with preselected menus and meal schedules, provided by dietitians, nutritionists, physicians and other specialists and non-specialists. Diet plans are typically acquired from books which are normally directed to the general public, or directly from a diet specialist through personal or group sessions.
There have also been attempts to implement more drastic means and methods for reducing weight. For example, there are diet camps where dieters lodge for prolonged periods of time. During their stay, the dieters are subject to a supervised daily schedule including strictly calorie-calculated meals and exercise plans. Another method, which has been used in the past but has proven to be dangerous, includes installment of irremovable restrictive metal jaws which prevent the user from eating in the usual manner.
Although some of the above mentioned methods have proven to be effective for limited periods of time, none of the methods provide a long-term solution for the problems of improper nutritional habits and/or overeating. Furthermore, some of the more effective methods are expensive and time consuming, let alone painful, cruel and humiliating.
It is well known that the food consumption rate is an important factor in acquiring healthy eating habits. In addition to symbolizing bad manners, fast eating is unhealthy and usually results in overeating and stomach discomforts and/or indigestion. These disadvantages of fast eating are mainly attributed to the fact that food digestion is a delayed and lengthy process. It is also well known that the sensation of "being full" is established only a considerable period of time following actual "eating to the full". This sensational delay-time may vary from one person to another, but it is normally in the order of twenty minutes. Thus, a fast eater often finds himself eating in great excess over the amount of food sufficient for quenching his or her hunger, without actually feeling full.
Scientific research has shown that the feeling of hunger is partially controlled by a group of cells in the lower brain. These cells act as appetite regulators, regulating the feeling of hunger in accordance with the sugar level in the blood. When the sugar level is under a certain level the person feels hungry, and when the sugar level is at a normal level, or above the normal level, the person feels full.
It is also well known that chewing is an important digestion aid. The enzyme Ptyalin in the human saliva decomposes long carbohydrate chains into sugars. It is appreciated that fast eating results in insufficient chewing which unduly burdens the digestion of food.